(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming management apparatus that manages the number of image formations by image forming apparatus, for instance, a copying machine, for each group of user.
(2) Related Art
An image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine (hereinafter referred to as a "copying machine") used in a company or another such organization is often shared by a plurality of groups (for instance, sections). In this case, it is desirable to prohibit unauthorized persons from using the copying machine and to manage the number of copying operations by each of the sections that use the copying machine for cost management.
When using a conventional copying machine, the user inputs the identification number that is given to the section that the user belongs to (hereinafter, such a section will be called a "user section", and such an identification number is called a "user section ID (identification data)").
The control unit in the copying machine compares the user section ID that the user inputs with the identification numbers that are registered in the control unit in advance (hereinafter, such identification numbers will be called "registered section IDs"). Only when finding a registered section ID that corresponds to the input user section ID, the control unit allows the user to use the copying machine. After allowing the user to use the copying machine, the control unit adds the number of copying operations made by the user to the total for the user section corresponding to the user section ID. The control unit thus stores a total corresponding to each user section.
The person in charge of the copying machine regularly calculates a copying cost for each user section according to the totals and invoices the user sections.
When the user is allowed to use such a conventional copying machine, the copying machine stores the number of copying operations related to the user section corresponding to the input user section ID. As a result, it is undesirable to take copies for other sections using such a copying machine. This is because the cost of the copies for the other sections is included in the bill issued to the user section since the user has to input his/her own user section ID in order to be allowed to use the copying machine, even when taking copies for other sections (hereinafter, such a section will be called a "receiver section"). The number of copying operations is stored related to the user section corresponding to the input user section ID, so that it is naturally undesirable for the receiver of copies (the receiver section) and the section bearing the cost of the copies (the user section) to differ.
In order to avoid such a problem, when taking copies for receiver sections, the user may obtain the identification numbers of the receiver sections (hereinafter, the identification number of a receiver section is called a "receiver section ID") in advance and input the obtained identification numbers. In other words, the user may be allowed to use the copying machine for the receiver sections. This solution, however, is far from ideal. It is troublesome for the user to memorize and input each of the receiver section IDs. The greater the number of the receiver sections, the more troublesome such operations become.
It is also highly possible for the user to input the wrong receiver section ID by mistake. In other words, it is highly possible for the copying machine to count the number of copying operations for a receiver section for which the user never takes copies.